i get this horrible smell from my vents when i first turn it on. It is the worst when i first turn it on and then it seems like it slowly fades away the longer it's on, but always has a smell. How do clean out the vents. i just recharged my air conditioner a few days ago and that smell was so horrible i almost gagged, but just like the heat, the smell slowly faded away but still smells. It seems the worst i put it on defrost, if i remember correctly, if i put the heat on (not defrost) it doesn;t really smell at all. Do you know what this smell could be coming from?

Thanks

 

Dodge has a TSB on this. Your a/c evaporator has mildew building on it. There is a spray the dealer shoots into the intake for the max air setting that kills it. Lysol will work also, it just doesn't smell as pretty!

 

Sorry, don't want to sound too ignorant, but what is a TSB? I have the same smell in my Truck as well. Rather irritating. And if I didn't want to buy the dealer item and I wanted to use Lysol, where would I spray it?

 

A TSB is a Technical Service Bulletin issued by the vehicle manufacturer, in this case Dodge. I am uncertain which vent or where the spray would go, but mold is probably growing in your defrost vent area.

 

Ok, I guess I can try that out. A while back when I was at the dealership, I saw them running this wierd machine which the service tech told me was also to clean out the duct work. He pretty much taped what looked like a large vaccum onto the diffrent ac ducts and was running a foamy soap. I have never seen this kind of technique before anywhere else. Anyone know what this might be?

 

go to the grocery store and buy a big can of "Crisp Linen Scent" Lysol. turn truck ignition on/accy, and turn on defroster or vent. at the passenger side cowl, under the windshield wiper, spray the lysol into the cowl vent. you'll see the defroster sucking it in. spray it in for a couple of minutes. repeat as necessary every month or two.

 

Get the stuff from the dealer, or use any a/c coil cleaner. Even Simple Green or 409. Use a pump-up sprayer. Pull the blower down and get the spray wand up in the plenum and drench the evap. coil. Peel the carpet back because it will drip. You could even use 50/50 bleach mix but be careful of staining. You may have to do this procedure a few times to completely eliminate the odor. I do my own every spring and fall and also keep a deodorant in the glove box which does nothing for mold but smells nice anyway. hahaha